iPhone 6 launch date rumoured for June, say Chinese whispers

Rumour has it that Apple is set to break with tradition and unveil its much-anticipated iPhone 6 in June at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

The flagship smartphone will come in two screen sizes at its summer launch, we were told by Cnet who found out from the Chinese site QQ that Chinese analyst Sun Changxu had insider information on the matter. Sound like playground gossip? We thought so too – but then Apple keep so tight lipped in the run up to their launches that Chinese whispers (pardon the pun) are inevitable.

"We never talk about future things", Apple CEO Tim Cook said at an event launching iPhone on China Mobile last week after being asked whether the iPhone 6 will boast a larger, even flexible display. "We have great things we are working on but we want to keep them secret. That way you will be so much happier when you see it."

Changxu, however, seems to have ways to make Apple employees talk because she's claimed that the iPhone 6 will most likely have a 4.7in and 1136 x 640 pixel resolution display. Changxu also floated the idea that Apple could release another smartphone shortly later with a higher resolution, slightly larger 5.7in display. This would be a huge jump from the iPhone 5's 4in screen, more of an iPhablet than an iPhone.

Personally, I think a June release is highly unlikely. Considering that for the last three years the Cupertino clever clogs have been releasing their latest iPhone in October or September, it makes no sense for them to change that pattern now.

The idea of a larger display, however, is certainly a possibility. It's about time that Apple played around with the iPhone's shape (it's remained unchanged since the iPhone 4) and supersizing the handset is an obvious way to do that. Still whilst 4.7in sounds credible, 5.7in borders on ludicrous. Add 0.3in and you'd have the iPad mini, making it very unlikely that Apple would develop a smartphone so unwieldy.

We've been amassing a veritable cornucopia of gossip in our iPhone 6 rumour roundup. Do you think that bigger is better? Are you excited to get your hands on an iPhablet? Let us know in the comments below.